Wales got a taste of the finer things in life this weekend with two events which placed fashion and food at their heart.

The country’s first-ever Thai Festival took place at Coopers Field in the capital as part of the diverse Cardiff Festival.

With traditional dress making a comeback in Thailand, young designers have started producing clothing which is a mixture of the old and new and costumes on display this weekend were the work of Saowanee Jones, who moved to Wales from Thailand more than 11 years ago.

Costumes featuring colourful patterned silks and intricate embroidery work, which the country is famous for, were seen on the catwalk.

Traditional fashion in Thailand varies in different parts of the country with women in Northern Thailand favouring long sleeved, high-collared blouses and sarongs, which reflect the relaxed outlook of the north. In Bangkok, the traditional style is much more formal with a highly tailored look coupled with bold accessories.

Comparing Welsh fashion with its Thai equivalent, Saowanee said: “There’s a big difference. It comes from the styles being developed in two different cultures, so even though the inspirations may be similar, the results are totally unique.”

The festival also featured Thai food, dancing, boxing and fruit carving.

Cardiff Council cabinet member for community development, co-operatives and social enterprise, Coun Peter Bradbury, said: “The Wales Thai Festival looks like an exciting new addition to the summer’s diverse events calendar.”

The popular Big Welsh Bite food and agriculture festival also took place in Ynysangharad Park in Pontypridd, where all produce available was grown, reared, caught, brewed, pickled, baked, smoked or processed by the food stallholders.

The Welsh-Italian Chiappa Sisters, stars of the Channel 4 cookery show Simply Italian, also made an appearance.

Show secretary Jeff Higgins said: “It’s been estimated we had between 7,000 and 10,000 visitors, one of our best shows to date.

“The weather was good and the display of horse drawn carriages including one from the household cavalry was one of the many highlights.”

Floral displays, cookery, wine making, sheep dog displays and vintage engines were on show in the Penrice Castle grounds near Reynoldston though there were no cattle displays due to bovine TB concerns.

The first ever Gower Show was held in the Penrice Castle grounds on September 20, 1906, by permission of then land owner Miss Emily Talbot.

No shows were held during the First World War and the 1919 Show at Kilvrough was described as Gower’s Peace Show.

The 1925 show was the last to be held at Kilvrough, the show reverting to Penrice until 1987 when it moved to Fairwood and finally returned to Penrice in 2002.